Russia must develop weapons to pierce US missile shields: Putin

PTI | Dec 29, 2009, 04.56 PM IST

MOSCOW: Russia will have to develop
new offensive weapon systems capable of piercing American missile shields in
order to maintain balance with the US and prevent it from feeling it "can do
anything" it wants, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. "To
maintain the power balance while not developing AMD (anti-missile defence), like
the US, we'll have to develop offensive arms," Putin told reporters in
Vladivostok in the country's Far East Pacific Coast, where he is on a working
visit.

"The issues of anti-missile defence and offensive weapon
systems are inter-connected. Even during the Cold War, the peace was maintained
thanks to this balance of power, which includes the correlation of forces
between AMD, air defence and offensive arms," Putin said in remarks televised by
Vesti news channel.

His statement came against the backdrop of
Moscow and Washington failing to reach the December 5 deadline to put in place a
new arms cut pact to replace the Soviet-era Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START) due to hiccups in verification procedures.